News

Iridium plans to launch an onboard boradband service within the next 18 months to compete directly with SwiftBroadband’s 432kbit/sec. service. Iridium will wade in, starting with a product for the maritime market (a 56-150kbit/sec service) that the company would follow with a similar product for land and aeronautical applications in 2008. Iridium’s subscriber base in […]

The Department of Treasury earlier this month published a notice of proposed rulemaking relating to the use of business aircraft for entertainment, affecting “taxpayers that deduct expenses for entertainment, amusement or recreation provided to specified individuals.” The notice will help clarify the definition of entertainment and would apply to any taxable year beginning on or […]

The Air Taxi Association (ATXA) formally announced its formation with the combined backing of European and American air-taxi providers and hopefuls. “The Air Taxi Association represents the next evolution in air travel, one that is complementary to our incredible worldwide aviation infrastructure,” said ATXA President Joe Leader. Dayjet, Earthjet, ImagineAir, JetBird, JumpJet, Linear Air, TaxiJet […]

The order has been placed, and excess will reach new heights when an Airbus A380 is delivered to a yet unidentified buyer for use as a private jet. Airbus The aircraft, offering 10,000 sq ft of cabin space is capable of carrying up to 840 fare-paying passengers. The buyer will likely shell out anywhere from […]

SSAC VP Marketing & Sales, Mark Fairchild told AVweb yesterday that “Taiwan continues to support our program and at the same time is looking for additional investors … to help increase our production rate and move the company to where we need to go to become the company we want to be.” He added that […]

Pilots at the U.K.’s Houses of Parliament on June 18 made a case that airline pilots and cabin crew are being exposed to toxic oil contaminants that are ultimately rendering them victims of “aerotoxic syndrome” and medically forced into retirement, according to NewScientist.com. As a result of the complaints, two investigations are being opened that […]

With the home-field advantage, France-based Airbus appears to have vaulted ahead of Boeing in terms of aircraft orders thanks to some large contracts signed at the Paris Air Show. USA Today is pegging Airbus’s 2007 order total at about 600, including a staggering 400 announced at Le Bourget. Boeing has gathered about 510 orders in […]

Does the concept of “see and avoid” apply to car drivers on airports? What about the notion of right of way at taxiway intersections? According to The Associated Press, both will be up to a judge to decide in a lawsuit launched by an Aurora, Ore., pilot and airport business owner against the FBI. Marlowe […]

An anonymous buyer has paid almost $500,000 extra for the privilege of jumping the line to buy a Cessna Citation Mustang. When the Mustang was first announced, Sporty’s Pilot Shops owner Hal Shevers was among the first to put down a deposit and he got the 13th position. Rather than keep the twinjet (and give […]

An Arkansas man who runs Mena Aircraft Propellers Inc. in Mena, Ark., has been convicted of fraud and making false statements concerning aircraft parts in connection with activities at his former business, Millennium Propeller Systems Inc. at Lancaster Airport near Dallas. According to bizjournals.com, John Wentzell Downs lost the FAA certification for his former business […]